Byron Allen sells Hollywood Hills house for $6.25 million

LAUREN BEALE

Perhaps Sunday he'll stick to flowers and chocolate.

Comedian and talk-show host Byron Allen has sold a midcentury modern he owned in the "bird streets" area of the Hollywood Hills for $6.25 million after more than two years on the market. The house had been vacant for the last three years.

"I originally purchased the home for my mother, but she elected to have a home in a gated community with more security," Allen said.

Stylishly sleek, the four-bedroom, 3 1/2 -bathroom house has a swimming pool and views of downtown L.A., Century City and the ocean through walls of glass. The one-story, 3,562-square-foot home, built in 1965 and extensively remodeled, first came on the market at $6,995,000 in 2007.

Allen, 48, hosts "Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen," which premiered in 2006 and is in its third season. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Entertainment Studios, which produces and distributes 18 television shows including "Beautiful Homes & Great Estates" on KABC-TV 7. The media mogul's company will launch six 24-hour HD television networks -- among them Pets.TV, Cars.TV and Comedy.TV -- on the Verizon FiOS television platform on Monday.

One of the first houses built in Brentwood, a 1920 Spanish-style hacienda owned by actor Dylan McDermottand actress Shiva Rose, has come back on the market at $6.9 million.

"When I was a struggling actor in New York, I once waited on Michelle Pfeiffer," McDermott recalled. "Years later I ended up buying her house."

The walled and gated four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence has long been a home to entertainment-industry couples. In addition to actress Pfeiffer and television show creator David E. Kelley, previous owners include actress Melanie Griffithand actor Antonio Banderas.

"I was initially attracted to the privacy and integrity of the house," McDermott said. "The depth of the house impressed upon me the value of architecture. From the hand-painted drawings in the magic room, to the mariachi balcony that echoes glamorous Hollywood, to the thick adobe walls that keep the house cool in the summer, to the antiquated stable doors."

The two-story great room has beamed, cathedral ceilings and opens to the dining area. The bedroom wing has three suites, one of which has a fireplace, and the rooms open to a glass-walled galleria showcasing the gardens and fountains.

The recently remodeled kitchen flows into a sun room with a guest bedroom beyond. The rear garden terrace has antique pavers, a pool and fountain. There is a pergola with climbing roses and an expansive lawn.

The 250-year-old oak tree that sits in the frontyard is the centerpiece of the home, the Golden Globe winner said. "It always made me feel a peace and tranquillity in an otherwise hectic life."

McDermott and Rose, whose divorce was finalized at the beginning of this year, bought the 4,000-square-foot house in 1999 for nearly $4 million, public records show. They had listed the home for sale last summer.

McDermott, 47, is known for his long-running role in "The Practice," which aired from 1997 to 2004. Rose, 40, has appeared in episodes of "CSI: Miami" and "Las Vegas."

"I will mostly miss the genuine passion I had for the house and my own personal involvement with its life. I literally tightened every screw," he said. "Some of the happiest days of my life have been spent in that house."

Mary Lu Tuthill and Kathleen Tuthill, both of Coldwell Banker, Brentwood Court, have the listing.

Ex-Trojan scores in Laguna Beach

The NFL's Carson Palmer has sold his Laguna Beach home for $2,365,000.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom hillside house has about 4,380 square feet of living space and ocean, Catalina and city light views. French doors open to balconies, the master bedroom suite occupies an entire floor, and built-ins include an aquarium. The multistory Mediterranean-style home was listed for $2,949,000 last June.

Palmer, 29, was the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner as a senior at USC. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was sidelined for 12 games last season while his throwing elbow healed.

Fashion photographer David LaChapelle has listed his 1920s Spanish-style home at $1.65 million.

The house, in the Sunset Strip area, has three bedrooms and two bathrooms in an open floor plan of 1,912 square feet. Archways define the passage from one area to the next. There is a remodeled kitchen, a fireplace, dark hardwood floors, a blue-tile swimming pool and a spa. The view home even offers a photo op of the Chateau Marmont.

He also has directed videos and made three documentaries, including "Rize" (2005) about the dance style krumping.

Barry Peele of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills, has the listing.

'Sand and Fog' on Malibu hillside

The tidy house staged as the subject in the movie "House of Sand and Fog" has come on the market at $1,999,000.

Although the Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley was set in San Francisco, the home sits on a lot of more than 1 acre in Malibu with ocean views. The 1,239-square-foot house, built in 1955, has two bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, beamed ceilings and a brick fireplace.

The 2003 film's tragic plot centered on an ownership dispute. In real life, however, this is a probate sale -- no court approval needed.